The history of Seaside, Oregon is a big part of Oregon's story. It runs all the way from the lives of Indigenous Americans and the first pioneers to the busy beach town we love today.
Let me walk you through it.
Native Americans and the First Europeans
Long before any Europeans arrived, the Clatsop Native Americans lived in Seaside and the surrounding area.
They lived here for centuries. Life was quiet and peaceful until the late 1700s. That's when explorers arrived, hunting for the legendary "Northwest Passage." They wanted a water route across the whole continent.
The Clatsop were a small tribe who spoke a Chinookan language. A merchant captain named Robert Gray first wrote about them in 1792.
That same year, he sailed into the mouth of the Columbia River and went 20 miles upstream. He named the river after his ship, the Columbia.
But here's the sad part. Those explorers and traders brought smallpox with them. By the time settlers moved in, only about 250 tribe members were left.
The Lewis and Clark Expedition
In November 1805, after a year and a half of hard travel, the Lewis and Clark expedition finally reached the Pacific Coast. This group was known as the Corps of Discovery.
They built a winter camp called Fort Clatsop near the mouth of the Columbia River, close to today's Astoria. They needed to rest and get ready for the long trip back home.
Now, picture this. The team was sick of eating unsalted meat and fish that went bad fast. So Lewis and Clark sent three men to find a good spot to make salt.
In 1806, they set up a salt-making camp right next to a friendly tribal village in what is now Seaside. Want to know how much salt they made? They boiled 1,400 gallons of seawater to get four bushels of salt for the journey home. Pretty impressive, right?
You can still see a recreation of this camp today at the Promenade Salt Works. I think it's a fun, quick stop if you're in town.
Early Settlers
In 1811, after the Corps of Discovery made it home, John Jacob Astor built a fur trading post and Fort Astoria at the mouth of the Columbia River.
By the early 1820s, new arrivals started forming permanent settlements and claiming land. More and more settlers followed. Still, the city wasn't officially incorporated until February 17, 1899.
Alexandre Gilbert's Impact
Here's a name worth knowing: Alexandre Gilbert.
He was a French immigrant and a veteran of the Franco-Prussian War. He moved to Oregon in 1881. Later, he served as Seaside's mayor from 1912 to 1916.
Gilbert owned property in town, and he gave away part of it for something special. That gift helped build one of Seaside's most iconic landmarks: the 1.5-mile-long Promenade. Locals just call it "the Prom."
So next time you take a relaxing walk along the Prom, you can thank Alexandre Gilbert. His vision made it happen.
His old home still stands, too. Built in the 1890s, it stayed Gilbert's house until he passed away at age 90 in 1935. Years later, in 1992, the house was converted into the Gilbert Inn, and it has welcomed guests ever since.
Becoming a Popular Tourist Attraction
Seaside started pulling in tourists very early on. Why? A big reason is how close it sits to large cities like Portland.
Back in the early 1850s, Portlanders began heading to the coast for vacation. Their trip looked a little different from yours, though:
- First, they sailed down the Columbia River to Astoria.
- Then, they hopped on a stagecoach and rode wagon roads to Seaside.
Things got much easier with the railroads. Rail service opened between Astoria and Seaside in 1888, and between Portland and Astoria in 1898. Suddenly, the area was wide open for business and fun.
By the 1920s, Seaside had become a top vacation destination. And guess what? Tourism is still the main driver of the city's economy today.
The 1964 Tsunami Flood
On March 27, 1964, a massive 9.2-magnitude earthquake hit Alaska. It sent a tsunami racing down the West Coast, and the waves reached Seaside.
The flood wasn't a disaster, but it still surprised people and damaged some property.
Here's a story old-timers love to share. People were dancing in a club when the water rolled in. One minute, they were having a great time. The next minute, they stood ankle-deep in water on the dance floor!
At first, they thought a water pipe had burst. But when they stepped outside, they saw the flooded streets of Seaside. Can you imagine the shock?
Seaside Today
Today, Seaside is packed with historic buildings and landmarks that have survived both the good times and the bad.
Once you've explored all this rich Seaside history, you can settle in for a quiet night. The town offers plenty of resorts, villas, and vacation homes to choose from.
It's a wonderful place to stay, close to the famous Seaside Promenade, the sandy beach, and a small-town history that gently carries you back in time.
So, are you ready to plan your trip?
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This is a nice overview of Seaside’s history, thanks for sharing it. One thing however, the Gilbert Inn only started in operation as in Inn in 1993. The house itself was in the 1890s, but it was the home of Mayor Gilbert until his death at 90 in 1935. It wasn’t converted into an Inn until 1992. Here’s the link from the Gilbert Inn that give those dates. https://www.gilbertinn.com/history-gilbertinn.
Thanks for the history.
Leah Griffith
President, Seaside Museum & Historical Society
Leah, appreciate the info.
Article is updated.
Cheers